Music is said to be the audible translation of emotions. However, no one would tell you that its visual side isn’t as important when talking about it. Bright and colorful videos, unforgettable live performances with gorgeous decorations and divine costumes – all these prove that our eyes need to be delighted as much as our ears. While musicians can change the make-up for each new song, there is one thing that remains the same, the element that represents the exponent’s name on long festival lists – the logo.
The power of music logos can be realized to its fullest when you think of the most classic ones, like the red lips and protruding tongue for the Rolling Stones or the red snowflake for Red Hot Chili Peppers. You most likely won’t be able to guess the name of the singer by solely listening to his songs (unless you are a devoted fan, of course). The logo is sometimes even more recognizable than the music, and that is why it is such a vital aspect to consider for any singer or band.
Writing a song may take a musician less than a couple of hours, it’s all about inspiration. But the process of creating a logo is more about the business, so it shouldn’t be taken for granted. You may be the owner of a club, concert hall, or radio station; a choragus or a band manager – the logo is still a necessary element you must have. In our article here, we’ll try to get to the bottom of the greatest music logo design ideas to make your inspiration follow the right direction.
Modern Logos
Nowadays, everything tends to be simple and understandable. Signboards become smaller, posters become shorter. If your brand name consists of several words or only one but it seems to be a bit long, you will probably have to do your best to create a modern logo. Here are some tips to facilitate the execution of the task:
- Use only the initials of the band’s name.
- Try to use sans-serif fonts in your logo.
- Combine a maximum of two or three colors.
- Add symbols and illustrations – replace letters with things connected with your business. For example, use the icon of vinyl instead of a letter “o” or the image of saxophone instead of “j”.
Modern music logos are bright and fun to pay tribute to the 90s stylistic elements. The implication of various cartoon-like elements and playful fonts can also be an excellent idea to make the logo’s graphic design look outstanding.
Rough and Rowdy Logos
As young people tend to romanticize rebellious behavior, the topic of rebellion has become something that the rising generation resonates with. Obviously, it finds its place in modern literature as well as lyrics of songs.
Rock and metal genres both sound like anthems of riots. No wonder the logos of the bands playing these kinds of music appear more aggressive than others. The most recognizable element of any “bad-ass” logo is sharpness. Just one look at all the sharp edges on the emblem of the death metal band, Aeon, will give you a sense of their music style.
Another noticeable feature is the use of bold fonts which visually emphasizes the band name. Still not tough enough? Then pay attention to colors. The musicians would say that their logos are just as dark as their music. There is a really little number of rock brands whose logo contains other colors except for gradations of black and white.
Logos for Instrumental Music Brands
When we are talking about music, it’s not always about eliciting wild energy. There are still more relaxed events like classical concerts or international song contests whose logos need to be created in a simple and clean way.
The same usually goes for instrumental music bands or places with live jazz performances. The logo designs of such bands won’t have any extremely bright colors or sharp bold fonts. For the most part of these labels, designers use formal fonts, flowing lines and images of traditional musical elements (piano, microphone, note sign, etc.) which expresses more professionalism.
However, with that being said, this doesn’t mean that instrumental bands’ logos have to be boring. There is always enough space for creativity. The excellent example is the emblem of a funk/jazz band Desmond Jones – which appears to be just as original as their music.
Classic Rock Icons
There are music logos with such recognizable icons that the name of the band no longer needs to be shown. A great example is Nirvana’s logo – a smiley face. Fans around the world are so familiar with the symbol that a Nirvana poster no longer needs to have “Nirvana” on it.
Why did these straightforward icons become so classic? Because they reflect the essence of the time when they were created. Because they were a bit too provocative and extravagant for their period, they caught the eye of the public and raised a lot of discussion and attention.
There are also bands who gained such popularity across the whole globe that their logo is no longer needed to be displayed as the name itself already says it all. Great examples of such names are The Beatles, KISS, Gorillaz or The Moore Brothers Band.
How to Create Your Own Music Logo?
With all these modern trends it can certainly be challenging to create an eye-catching logo. A great number of details need to be considered, and at some point in time, you may even think that all the greatest music logo ideas have already been taken. However, for a very good reason, it is said that everything genius is simple. There is no need to rediscover everything, just use the resources and inspiration available and work your way up from there!
The DesignBro team knows that the best is always yet to come. With that being said, we are ready to share our professional skills and creative ideas with you to craft the perfect logo design for your business.
Besides having grown up in the design Industry, Christiaan has advised some of the world’s largest companies on their branding & packaging designs. Has been the resident judge for design awards, and has spoken at numerous global design & marketing events. Christiaan founded the London office of the award-winning Cartils agency, and has founded the DesignBro.com platform.
